Citation

Discussion Paper Details

Please find the details for DP13716 in an easy to copy and paste format below:

Full Details   |   Bibliographic Reference

Full Details

Title: Trade Blocs and Trade Wars during the Interwar Period

Author(s): David S. Jacks and Dennis Novy

Publication Date: May 2019

Keyword(s): Commonwealth, distance, Gravity, interwar period, Trade Blocs and trade wars

Programme Area(s): Economic History and International Trade and Regional Economics

Abstract: What precisely were the causes and consequences of the trade wars in the 1930s? Were there perhaps deeper forces at work in reorienting global trade prior to the outbreak of World War II? And what lessons may this particular historical episode provide for the present day? To answer these questions, we distinguish between long-run secular trends in the period from 1920 to 1939 related to the formation of trade blocs (in particular, the British Commonwealth) and short-run disruptions associated with the trade wars of the 1930s (in particular, large and widespread declines in bilateral trade, the narrowing of trade imbalances, and sharp drops in average traded distances). We argue that the trade wars mainly served to intensify pre-existing efforts towards the formation of trade blocs which dated from at least 1920. More speculatively, we argue that the trade wars of the present day may serve a similar purpose as those in the 1930s, that is, the intensification of China- and US-centric trade blocs.

For full details and related downloads, please visit: https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=13716

Bibliographic Reference

Jacks, D and Novy, D. 2019. 'Trade Blocs and Trade Wars during the Interwar Period'. London, Centre for Economic Policy Research. https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=13716